Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Five stages meant to encompass the entire, painful roller coaster known as grief. I remember learning about these stages in college, memorizing the Kubler-Ross diagram in order to pass a test. I had no idea ...
When Jared died, I counted the months he had been gone. I hated the 16th of every month. And if the 16th happened to be a Tuesday, it was a double whammy. Then at the end of October 2016, I ...
Last year I worked at an elementary school as a paraeducator to see if I wanted to go into teaching. By the end of the school year, I was happy with everything I had learned that brought me closer to ...
There is a man that loves me unconditionally…and he isn’t my husband. There is a man that adores my son…and he isn’t his biological father. There is a man that holds our hand without hesitation through the good, bad, ...
A young man asked if I was married. This is a typical question I get when I have conversations with strangers or people who don’t know my story. Often times it's women or older people. They see me without a ...
Every year around this time I start feeling a little stuck and lost. I love to coach women on becoming unstuck because feeling stuck has been a repetitive occurrence through various seasons in my life. Now that I have perspective ...
The holiday season is officially upon us. And the holidays are such a hard time of year. Especially for widows. During this time of year, I always miss Jared even more. I wish he was here to go to the ...
Four Years and Counting I became a widow four years and 61 days ago. But who's counting? You are and I am. Oh please, I know you are. Every time I say his name or talk about him, I see ...
Sleep is such a precarious yet precious thing. We need it to function, feel terrible when we don’t have it and trying to get it is like trying to find gold in the desert. I used to be such a ...